Tom Boonen escorting his team leader Francesco Chicchi at the Tour de San Luis 2012
Tom Boonen is currently riding the Tour de San Luis and played a vital role in helping Francesco Chicchi with the first stage victory.
He dominated during the final 1.5 kilometres of the race and secured the 34th position during the opening stage of the Tour de San Luis.
Chicchi finished the race in a total time of 4 hours, 53 minutes and 18 seconds to claim the top position.
Juan Jose Haedo finished second, with Mauro Richeze, Luis Mansilla and Jimmy Casper claiming the third, fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
He told Cyclingnews, "It was very hard, we had only six guys and at the end we had only five guys, so it's not easy to control, especially with the wind and after a hard day. We had everything - rain, hail...”
He further added, "In the last five or six kilometres it was just us trying to control the race – not easy, but controlled. A steady pace, but not pushing it every 500 metres – steady so we can arrive for the last kilometre".
The 31-year-old joined the Belgian team in 2003 and is continuing his 10th consecutive season with the side.
One of the biggest wins of his career came during the Elite Men’s Road Race World Championships in 2005, where he secured the gold medal.
Boonen is keen to help his team with more victories at the ongoing race, in Argentina, and is also looking ahead for his own chances at the race.
He finished second during the 145.3 kilometre stage 2 of the race, after a photo-finish behind his teammate, Francesco Chicchi.
Chicchi finished the race in 3 hours, 22 minutes and 40 seconds to claim his second stage win at the Tour De San Luis 2012.
He is leading the final general classifications, with Juan Jose Haedo claiming the second spot.
Jake Keough, Mauro Richeze and Paolo Locatelli claimed the third, fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
Boonen is now at the 35th spot after the stage 2 classifications, with a deficit of 26 seconds behind the race leader Francesco.
With four more stages to go in the race, Chicchi is definitely a serious contender for the final general classifications. He is eyeing the 168.2 kilometre stage 3 of the race to further strengthen his grip on the overall classifications.
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